Government provided video shows more than 1,100 people inside metal cages in a warehouse that's divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children.
USA TODAY

Central American asylum seekers wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take them into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas. The families were then sent to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center for possible separation. (Photo: John Moore, Getty Images)

North Florida's representatives in Congress are weighing in on news that children of migrants who crossed the Mexican border illegally are being separated from their parents and detained in compounds.

The Tallahassee Democrat sent questions to Rep. Al Lawson, a Democrat who represents the 5th Congressional District, Rep. Neal Dunn, a Republican who represents the 2nd Congressional District, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican who represents the 1st Congressional District.

Gaetz didn't respond to the questions after 24 hours, and a spokesman for Dunn issued a statement in response to them.

Congressman Neal Dunn, R- Panama City.(Photo: Neal Dunn)

Here's the statement from Shelby Hodgkins, a spokesman for Rep. Dunn:

“Dr. Dunn is very concerned with the reports of children being separated from parents at the border. We expect that the House will take up legislation that will ensure that any accompanied children apprehended at the border will not be separated from their parent or guardian while in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Dunn will continue to work with President Trump and his colleagues in the House to resolve this problem.”

Here are the questions to the congressmen and Al Lawson's responses:

• What do you think about the policy of separating children from parents who illegally cross the border?

"It is disgusting that this Administration is choosing to rip children as young as 12 months old from the arms of their parents and tear families apart at the border. This goes against everything that we stand for as a nation. Many of these parents are fleeing extreme violence and seeking refuge for their children. This is a human right that we must uphold. Despite what the Trump Administration wants the American public to believe, there is no law that requires family separation. I believe this 'zero tolerance' immigration policy is just his latest assault in his extreme anti-immigrant agenda."

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson.(Photo: Eric Connolly U.S. House Office of Photography)

• Do you have any concerns about the Walmart in Brownsville, Texas, being used to house children?

"It must be traumatic for these children who are being separated and detained in centers with no one they know and in a country they are not familiar with. I am sure it is mentally damaging and who knows what the long-term effects may be from this systematic separation."

• How should federal lawmakers address the issue?

"Republicans must join Democrats in demanding that the Trump Administration reverse this cruel policy and end the brutal practice now. This isn’t about politics, it’s about human decency."

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

The Southwest Key Casa Padre Facility in Brownsville Texas where unaccompanied minors and now minors separated from their parents are being held. (Photo: Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times)

Ministers speak out

The Rev. R.B. Holmes Jr. and other local clergy plan to hold an 11 a.m. news conference Wednesday at Bethel Missionary Baptist to condemn the Trump administration's policy of separating undocumented parents and their children detained at the border.